Winnipeg among most skeptical in Canada when it comes to police: poll

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This article was published 10/10/2020 (2050 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — In all of Canada, Winnipeggers are among the least satisfied with their police force, and are most likely to push for a reduction in police funding, a poll has found.

Meanwhile, Indigenous people, members of visible minorities and younger Canadians are more likely to have had bad experiences and to feel threatened in the presence of police, the Angus Reid Institute survey concluded.

Of the 304 Winnipeg respondents surveyed, 26 per cent said they have an unfavourable view of the police department. That’s the highest of any major Prairie city, and only slightly behind Montreal and Vancouver.

Meanwhile, the poll found one-third of Winnipeggers would support less funding for the police.

Nationally, 77 per cent of Caucasian respondents said they had a favourable or very favourable view of their local police.

But that dropped to 72 per cent for Indigenous respondents and 67 per cent for those who identify as members of a visible minority.

The contrasts among different age groups was more stark, just 51 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds expressed a favourable view — a percentage that rose through each successive age group to a high of 86 per cent among those 65 or older.

Younger Canadians were far more likely than older Canadians to report having had at least one direct interaction with police over the past five years, which could include anything from a traffic stop, reporting a disturbance or being arrested.

Seventy-four per cent of those aged 18 to 34 reported having had at least one direct interaction with police, compared with 54 per cent for those 55 or older.

Among those who did have direct interactions with police, 80 per cent said it was mainly or entirely positive. Seventeen per cent said it was more negative than positive and just four per cent said it was entirely negative.

But Indigenous people and members of visible minorities were more likely than Caucasians to report entirely or mainly negative experiences — 29 per cent, 25 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.

Younger Canadians, particularly young Indigenous people or members of a visible minority, were more likely to say they feel threatened in the presence of a police officer.

Overall, just 17 per cent of respondents said they feel less secure when they see a police officer, compared to 45 per cent who feel more secure and 38 per cent who reported no feeling either way.

But 38 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds said they feel less secure — six points higher than those who said they feel more secure. Feelings of security increased through each successive age group to a high of 57 per cent among those 65 and older.

For Indigenous youth, 35 per cent said they feel less secure, the same as the number of people who said they feel more secure. And 39 per cent of visible minority youth said they feel less secure, four points higher than those who said they feel more secure.

By comparison, 30 per cent of Caucasian youth said they feel less secure in the presence of a police officer, whereas 33 per cent said they feel more secure.

The online poll of 5,005 adult Canadians was conducted Aug. 26 to Sept. 1.

— Dylan Robertson and The Canadian Press